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Dunn still confident in his abilities

Dunn still confident in his abilities

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Adam Dunn

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SEATTLE -- When the various 2012 sets of baseball cards go to print, White Sox designated hitter Adam Dunn has an idea of what he wants done with his 2011 statistical showing.

"I'm going to try to get them not to print this year. Pretend this year didn't happen," Dunn told MLB.com before Friday's series opener at Safeco Field. "That's exactly what I'm going to do when this year is over with. This year will be over."

White Sox fans feel the same way about Dunn's inaugural season with the franchise. Chapter and verse already has been written about his historically bad .165 average, along with his 11 homers, 40 RBIs and league-leading 153 strikeouts. His slugging percentage and on-base percentage are a matching .292. And the 2011 splits paint an even bleaker picture for the 31-year-old veteran.

His home average sits at .158, and his three singles in 81 at-bats against southpaws almost defies logic for the left-handed slugger.

"It's not just lefties. It's everything," Dunn said. "Obviously, I've [stunk] against lefties. But again, it's not just off of lefties. It's off of righties. It's off of curveballs. It's off of fastballs. It's off of everything."

While Dunn still holds out hope that September can be a rebound month or even one to salvage the season, he certainly figures to lose playing time with Dayan Viciedo's arrival. But as bad as things have gotten for him, Dunn still has not lost confidence that his ability will return -- even if it's in 2012. After producing seven straight seasons with at least 38 home runs, he doesn't suddenly feel talent-less.

"No, you don't lose it. It's in there. I still can play this game. Somewhere down the line, it got hidden," Dunn said. "I'm healthy. I feel good. It's just going to be, this is a little blip on the radar when it comes to the big scheme of things.

"There are things where I've gotten into some bad habits that have been kind of muscle memory and hard to get out of them. We are still working to being more consistent every at-bat. In the offseason, I'll be able to take a couple of months off, and when I start hitting next year, I'll be able to retrain myself to how I used to do it."